Every week I watch All American: Homecoming, hoping that I get the same feeling I used to get when I watched the first two seasons, but each time I end up disappointed. This episode almost had the potential to be great, but of course the writers had to go and mess it up. It’s like they’ve put a bunch of storylines in a hat and picked them at random. The inconsistency and the random plot twists are really taking this show downhill. But anyway, let's go over my favorite and not-so-favorite moments of episode 4.
21 All Savage
It’s Simone’s birthday! Our favorite protagonist (or antagonist, depending on how you view her) turned 21 this episode, and boy did she turn up. Depending on when this episode took place, Simone is either a Virgo, a Libra, or a Scorpio. It’s homecoming season at Bringston in the next episode, and HBCU homecomings typically take place in October, so my best bet is that she is either a Libra or a Scorpio, and if that’s the case, that explains so much.
In the beginning of the episode, Simone is greeted with a cake and a birthday song from Cam and Keisha, which I thought was very sweet because having friends that show up for you on your birthday is so important. But it wasn’t long before she started acting like her usual controlling self when she learned that the place she wanted to go for her birthday was booked. It’s something about having an attitude when people are trying to plan nice things for you that rubs me the wrong way. I felt that once she learned about the change, she could have been a little nicer to Cam and Keisha. As someone who takes their birthday very seriously, I’m always grateful for whatever my friends plan or if they simply attend because they don’t have to. We also see in the beginning of this episode that Simone makes a doctor’s appointment for the underarm pain she’s been feeling these past few weeks, and in order to take her mind off it, she decides she’s going all out for her birthday this year.
I thought I was lit for my 21st birthday, but Simone has me beat by a landslide. Fast forward to later in the episode: Simone is lit with a capital L, which is a surprise to her friends because this is not like her at all. Simone gets extremely drunk, like she’s dancing on the bar, kissing the DJ, and sending out drunk texts to none other than Lando.
If you’ve ever had to babysit a drunk friend, then you know how much they like to run away from the group when they’re drunk. Being the great friends that they are, Cam and Keisha try their best to keep an eye on Simone, even though she isn’t listening to them. And just when things were about to turn, Lando came in and saved the day. He takes on the role of babysitter and follows Simone on her drunken escapades on campus. This is why I will always be Team Lando because he answered her drunk text and came to take care of her while we didn’t see Simone even mention that Damon wished her a happy birthday. Which brings me to my next point: how the writers of All American: Homecoming refuse to let Team Limone know peace.
Almost doesn’t count
Team Limone we were almost there. We almost got what we wanted, but the writers took it away from us. I really thought in this episode we were going to see Simone and Lando finally get together officially because, in my mind, they’re endgame. Being the good person that he is, Lando takes care of drunk Simone, dealing with her and all her antics. One thing I always loved about Simone and Lando was their ability to see each other. It’s like no matter how they try to hide it, they always manage to see each other beyond the surface, and I miss that aspect of the show. We got to see a little bit of that during the tennis court scene. Lando asks Simone if she is okay because her being belligerently drunk is not like her at all. Simone then, of course, deflects and brings up how they’re not friends anymore and deep conversations are reserved for friends.
She then brings up Lando and him being in his hoe-era, calling him “Lan-ho.” Just like Lando knew being drunk wasn’t like Simone, she knew being with a bunch of different girls wasn’t like Lando. What shocked me about this whole exchange was that Simone brought up Eva and how she was more than a sneak link. Like Simone, why are you bringing up Eva? It's you that he really wants, but I digress. After they leave the tennis court, Simone and Lando return to her apartment, where they have a heart-to-heart.
Simone opens up to Lando, telling him how her whole life she’s felt out of control. From being a teen mom to getting married to getting her marriage annulled, all before she turned 21, for her, coming to Bringston was a chance to take back that power, but to her, she still fell short. Lando then ensures her that she is not powerless and that all she has to do is set her mind to what she wants and go after it. Then he proceeds to ask her what she wants. This is where things get tricky.
Simone tells Lando she wants to stop feeling pain, leave her mark on the tennis court, and lastly, she wants him back in her life. He then tells her that he is right there, and he is not going anywhere. I’m not going to lie; I screamed a bit during this exchange because I was so here for it. And just when we thought they were going to kiss, Simone threw up on Lando’s shoes! I think that the writers have beef with me because why would they ruin such a perfect moment?
Not remembering what happened the night before, Lando reminded Simone of what they discussed and offered to keep the conversation going. She shuts down the idea after a girl Lando is talking to calls his phone, but he ignores it. She was definitely in her feelings a little bit after that happened. She thanked him for taking care of her but then suggested that he leave. It’s clear that Simone clearly doesn’t want to be happy, because I don’t know any man who would sit there and take care of her like that if he didn’t still have feelings for her.
Later in the episode, we see Simone and Lando again. This time, she gives him a gift card to replace the shoes she ruined. He also tells her that he listened to what she said about Eva and made things official. I could have turned my TV off in that moment, because why would he do that? I guess that the two of them are friends again since he said that what she said was something that a friend would say. But deep down, I think Simone knows she messed up, not just in this moment but in choosing Damon from the start. Lando has always shown up for her no matter what, and it's clear that something is still there between them. I usually don’t encourage ruining relationships, but I need the writers to wrap up Lando and Eva by tonight because if it's not him and Simone, then I don’t want it.
Trouble in paradise
I remember a time when the only relationship drama we had to worry about was whether Simone was going to choose Damon or Lando, but in Season 3, it seems like all of the Bringston couples are going through it. In this episode, Cam and Keisha start having problems, and JR and Gabby continue their issues surrounding JR wanting to revive the baseball team. Keisha is on edge about a lot of things, including getting into graduate school and the homecoming fashion show. Although Keisha loves to dance, it is something that she is always second-guessing herself. To her, her best is never good enough. While venting to Cam about what’s going on, he tries to help her by suggesting that KEK join the homecoming fashion show to give her some new ideas. One thing I’m not crazy about about Keisha is that she picks and chooses when she wants to stand up for herself. Instead of telling Cam right away that she didn’t want him involved with the fashion show, she waited until she reached her breaking point to say something.
I thought that JR and Gabby actually broke up, but it seems like they’ve just been in a rough patch. No one can mention baseball around the two of them without it getting extremely awkward. JR feels like Gabby doesn’t support him when it comes to baseball, and Gabby thinks that it was foolish of JR to want to play baseball after what happened the last time. Gabby went behind JR’s back to talk to Coach Marcus about the baseball team, and when he found out, he was not pleased at all. But later, he learned that what she did was out of love. She said she would support him only if Coach Marcus would be the one to keep an eye on him. Throughout the episode, people keep telling JR how much Gabby loves him, which he’s aware of, but I still can’t help but think that the writers are setting it up for him and Keisha to get together.
Keisha and JR are giving me early Simone and Damon vibes because, even though they were with other people, they would turn to each other first when something was going on.As soon as a problem with their significant others arises, JR and Keisha turn to each other for comfort. I can’t help but see them getting together, which is unfortunate because I like the couples as they are. But we’re almost halfway through the season, so we shall see how this story plays out.
You’re not my dad!
Noah came to visit Coach Marcus for the weekend, and he was not feeling it at all. Coach Marcus tried to make up for lost time by booking activities that he thought Noah would enjoy doing together, but like most teenagers, he was preoccupied with his phone. Noah even told Coach Marcus that the only reason he came was because his mom promised him a new game if he did. I felt really bad for Coach Marcus in this moment because he really wants to be there for Noah, even though he continues to shut him out.
Seeing that their bonding time isn’t going very well, JR offers to show Noah around Bringston and show him how great of a father Coach Marcus really is. This scene would have been so much better if it hadn’t seemed so rehearsed. It felt like Cam, JR, and Lando were reading lines when they were talking to Noah instead of having an organic conversation. Noah expressed to them that he felt like Coach Marcus was doing too much and that his stepdad was all that he needed. JR helps Noah see that even though they all had their own dad, Coach Marcus has still been there for them like a father. Noah then decides to give Coach Marcus a chance, but that is short-lived after he sees him, and JR get into an argument.
At the end of the episode, Coach Marcus and Noah have a heart-to-heart discussion about the nature of their relationship. They both agree to respect each other and be present during the time that they spend together. I liked this storyline in this episode, but I feel like it would have been a lot better if it was Damon showing Noah around instead of JR. Damon knows what it's like to have issues with your biological father, as well as seeing the father who has raised you as your real father. If the show continues to bring Noah into storylines, I would love for him to have an interaction with Noah.
1 in 8
1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In the beginning of the episode, we see Simone trying to make a doctor’s appointment for the persistent pain under her arm that’s been bothering her for weeks. She originally scheduled her appointment with a Black female doctor who specializes in sports medicine, but after a scheduling conflict, she had to book with another doctor.
As teased in last week's preview, the show discussed how Black people have to fight to be heard when it comes to medical care. It is a known fact that some doctors believe that Black people feel pain the same way other races do, and the show addressed that misconception during this episode. After running the standard tests, Simone’s new doctor says that nothing is wrong with her, despite her being in pain. She asks him for an MRI, and he brushes her off, stating it is not needed. After some pushback from Simone, he reluctantly agrees to do a blood test.
After her drunken night and losing her phone, Simone finds her phone and sees the results of her test, which come back clean. She eventually opens up to Keisha about her health issues and explains why she acted the way she did on her birthday. One of the things I liked most about this episode was how the show showcased what it’s like to have health anxiety and feel out of control when it comes to your body. During the scene at the club for Simone’s birthday, we see her spinning out of control and eventually see the clubgoers dressed as doctors. I truly enjoyed the symbolism here.
After speaking with Coach Marcus about the importance of listening to your body, Simone asks Keisha’s dad, Dr. Allen, for his help. The episode ends with Simone getting her new test results, and we learn that Simone has a lump in her breast. Now, while the symptoms that Simone is experiencing in addition to the mass in her breast are signs of breast cancer, we don’t know for sure if that’s the case.
I’m interested to see how this storyline plays out for Simone. This can be a scary experience for anyone, especially someone who is so young. The show centers around Simone, so I wonder how her diagnosis will affect the people around her. While it is uncommon for women under the age of 45 to have breast cancer, I like how the show brought awareness to an issue that can impact women at any age.
What to look forward to
I’m still not giving up on Team Limone. I believe the writers will eventually give us what we want. In the next episode, it's homecoming season for the Bringston Lions, and some old friends are in town. Thea makes an appearance, so I assume she is taking a break from the professional circuit. It looks like we’re going to see the much-needed conversation between the two after Simone dated Damon after Thea. We also see Simone begin some type of treatment for her mass while also trying to help Keisha with the fashion show. All of that seems to get the best of Simone, but we'll see what happens on the next episode of All American: Homecoming.
Season 3 of All American: Homecoming airs on The CW on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST.
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